Many clubs such as Leeds Rhinos, Warrington Wolves, Hull FC, Hull KR and Castleford Tigers have been busy with recruitment but the club who has perhaps done the best recruitment has been the Wigan Warriors.
They have drafted in the likes of Sam Walters, Kruise Leeming, Tyler Dupree, Adam Keighran and Tiaki Chan.
But their prized possession going into 2024 is undoubtedly Luke Thompson.
The 28-year old will make the move from Canterbury Bulldogs for whom he made 42 appearances since leaving St Helens in 2020.
Thompson won two Super League Grand Finals with St Helens in 2014 and 2019, and was the Harry Sunderland Trophy winner in the latter. He was also named in the Super League Dream Team in 2018 and 2019.
He has made seven appearances for England, including featuring in the Rugby League World Cup 2021 last year. He also made three appearances for Great Britain on the 2019 Lions tour.
This signing though has raised questions over whether the Warriors will have to accept a major exit.
There have been strange suggestions that Jai Field could join Catalans Dragons or that Morgan Smithies could move to the NRL.
This comes as some question the Warriors’ salary cap. But it is key to remember that players like Smithies, Liam Marshall, Harry Smith, Brad O’Neill, Liam Farrell and others count less on the cap due to being academy products.
This shows the brilliance of Wigan’s model as well as that of St Helens.
On signing Thompson, Warriors Head Coach, Matt Peet said: “Luke is an outstanding acquisition for the club. He is a quality front-rower and brings a wealth of experience.
“We look forward to welcoming him and his family to the club.”
On signing, Luke Thompson said: “I can’t wait to be back playing in the Super League with crowds up and the squad strong.
“It’s a really exciting time to be joining Wigan. They’re playing great rugby and I’m looking forward to being a part of it.”
Recently Thompson spoke about his future and his latest injury.
“I could never write the year off,” Thompson said to the Daily Telegraph.
“Not playing this year never entered my mind. All year I’ve been trying to get back as soon as I could. My main focus was to get back and help the lads.
“It has taken longer than I hoped but it’ll be good to get back out there.
“I was back in the gym a week after surgery. You can’t train on your feet but you can do other stuff. I kept sitting in the team video sessions because I had to keep footy on my mind.
“Because as soon as I was ready to come back I had to be ready to go. It took longer than expected but all the hard work is going to pay off.”
When asked about his future, he said: “It’s a bit of a unique situation. I missed the back-end of last year and then played a World Cup. I came in ready for a big season and then I got injured.
“I know my values and what I bring to a club and team. For me it’s reminding people because I have not been there for a quite a while now. Injury can make you better or define you. I always have mindset to get it right.”
